Covent Garden London
The heart of London's West End
Buy & bust - will the Police ever crack it?
Recently, the CGCA was invited to attend part of Operation Hawksbill, an anti-drugs operation in the West End, as an observer. In the wake of repeated claims by community leaders and pressure groups, the Police in central London are very aware of criticism of its service to the community.
Our attendance at a covert "buy & bust" operation during November 2000 was clearly intended to be a PR tool and to help stem the tide of the perceived 'negative publicity'. The operation we witnessed has helped us in placing the Met's anti-drug efforts in perspective, but has also raised several other issues. We were impressed with the professionalism that underlies the current Operation Hawksbill, but were also surprised by the never-ending stream of dealers and addicts that have made the West End their 'beat'.
Under cover
We attended a briefing at West End Central Police Station, where 40 officers were given details of the day's operation and were introduced to the under-cover officers that would be making test purchases. Previously, we had signed an agreement not to disclose any information relating to the tactics, equipment, officers and methodology in connection with this operation.
We were then allowed to observe where the operation was being co-ordinated and the test purchase was being witnessed. We were able to see very clearly the blatant sale of controlled drugs on the streets of the West End over a period of time and saw the arrest of the dealers involved.
Back at West End Central Police Station, we were able to see the custody suite and cells, and the evidence gathered during the operation that day. Officers explained the various pieces of information and the evidence that had been collected meticulously. They also explained their tactics, details of intelligence gathering and the drugs market, giving us an insight into the very complex and detailed 'jigsaw' they were working on. No questions were left unanswered.
- Some of the unexpected aspects of the operation:
- the large number of officers involved in just this operation
- the relatively high number of arrests of suspects and their being remanded in custody, pending sentencing
- the huge amount of paperwork involved with each arrest
- the relatively high cost per arrested dealer
- the attention to detail and the 'tightness' of the whole operation
- the extent of the street drugs scene and the open, in-your-face dealing of Class A drugs
Evaluation:
The deployment of 40 Police officers for a relatively small anti-drugs operation and the relatively large cost involved seemed rather dubious. At first, we were unable to understand how the Metropolitan Police can justify continued operations such as the one we observed. The Police were able to explain to us afterwards that the cost of this operation is substantially less than previous operations in terms of charges and sentencing.
The thought of using these 40 officers in yellow jackets on high-visibility patrols across the West End seemed an attractive idea. However, the large amount of open drug dealing on the streets would probably take place off the street if the area were to be swamped with visible patrols. In view of the acute London-wide shortages of Police officers, any of these options are unlikely to be sustainable.
Given the size of the drug market and the demand, the Police could easily spend the next 20 years busting individual dealers on a regular basis, without eradicating the problem. The answer must lay in long-term multi-agency and cross-border operations, in designing-out hide-outs and in reducing demand through the rehabilitation of addicts by professional services.
We were impressed with the tactics used, the firmness of officers, their professionalism and their enthusiasm. The effectiveness of the operation needs to be seen in the context of other operations that compliment Operation Hawksbill and run concurrently.
Hawksbill is an operation used to tackle drug dealers with the intention of impacting on street crimes that include robbery of a person and theft from a person by snatch. It is one of nearly 100 operations this policing year at West End Central.
The low-down:
Why is there such a huge drugs market out there?
Every Joe Bloggs and his dog knows that the West End is still the place to buy the stuff. With the very high concentration of licensed premises and places of entertainment, there is plenty of scope for addicts to mug and rob intoxicated 'media types' or innocent tourists.
Have the Police lost control over the West End?
Looks like it! The place resembles one of the highest-profile dens of iniquity in a civilised society. The lawlessness that has taken hold in the past 7 or 8 years has resulted in a large amount of petty crime, theft, robbery and intimidation. The fear of crime is very high, whilst the built environment decays rapidly, destroying the very fabric of society.
Another operation?
This is only one of many, more than 100, in fact. Its value lies in the cumulative effect of several operations, carefully orchestrated, to avoid the inevitable displacement.
Is it value for money?
The Police thinks it is. It compares very well with other operations, particularly when you consider the high success rate.
How do they finance this work?
They are hundreds of Police officers short and some of the unspent budget is used to pay for overtime and expert assistance from outside the Division.
Are they having an impact?
Undoubtedly. Life is being made jolly awkward for most of the dealers and regular punters. Almost every arrest has resulted in a dealer being taken off the street, to await sentencing. If found guilty, they are likely to be put away for a minimum of 3 years, which helps to ease life a little for embattled residents and businesses.
When will they clear-up the problem?
You must be Jo King! They're not even scratching the surface yet. For every crack dealer arrested and convicted, another is likely to take his place.
Why bother then?
To keep the public and the Commissioner happy. There is a lot of value in reassuring the public that the Met is doing its best. It also helps to unsettle the drugs market and keep it transient (the last thing we need is for drug dealers to set-up shop somewhere in Soho or Covent Garden and openly advertise their wares).
Are there no alternatives?
Yes, even senior officers themselves believe that 'busting' the dealers is not a long-term solution. They have all set their hopes, to varying degrees, on multi-agency, cross-border initiatives like Project Lilac, aimed at reducing the market by getting addicts into rehab and long-term care and help, whilst at the same time designing-out drug opportunity areas and putting dealers before a judge.
You sound as if you have been 'converted'...
Not really, we were just very impressed. It is very obvious that the majority of Police officers out there are experienced professionals and have to work under very adverse, and sometimes extremely dangerous, conditions. The Police are still providing a very necessary and highly sophisticated service to the public, whatever your view of some of officers on the beat. The smugness of some of the top-brass is matched by the motivation and enthusiasm of most of the foot soldiers.
They're just good at PR stunts!
Actually, they could learn a trick or two in that department. Their 'marketing' is still hopeless, but they are learning. They need to blow their own trumpet a little, from time to time. Their real problem is the lack of suitable applicants to fill those thousands of vacancies. Perhaps the provision of additional resources, substantial salary increases and more living accommodation in central London may help in attracting the hundreds of much-needed new recruits each year. The negative perception the public has of the Police is also not exactly encouraging to potential new recruits.
Do you have any 'advice' for the Police, in case they visit this website?
If you want the public to co-operate and be your eyes-n-ears, you need to start giving them one or two of the things they want. For starters, more visible policing - even if this means raising the starting salaries, etc. Secondly, support them in opposing community-destroying and amenity-eroding developments.
Be more specific...
Many parts of the West End are seriously over-licensed - put a stop to further liquor and entertainment licences. You can't police the West End effectively at present, so why exacerbate the situation? Also, pay more attention to quality-of-life issues such as urinating in the street, rowdiness outside pubs and bars, anti-social and laddish behaviour, the fear of crime, and a cleaner and safer environment. That will help to get rid of the general lawlessness and 'Wild West' atmosphere. Bust all unlicensed mini-cab operations in the West End - most of them thrive on and perpetuate the criminality that surrounds them.
Famous last words:
If you have a law, enforce it!
Two new Operations in the West End/Soho area for 2001:
West End Central Police will have a permanent "Soho Unit" of 10 constables and 2 sergeants starting on 15th January 2001. This will provide additional officers to West End Central police station to deal with Soho's prostitution, clipping, illegal drinking dens & near-beer bars, drugs, mini-cabs and quality-of-life issues. The operation is designed to work very closely with Project Lilac.
From 8th January, there will also be a Westminster-wide team of 12 constables and 2 sergeants - Operation Spotlight. It will deal primarily with quality-of-life issues, including begging, prostitute cards, drunkenness, drugs, mini-cabs and other central London problems.
- links:
- Metropolitan Police
- Metropolitan Police Authority
- Project Lilac (Met Police page)
- Project Lilac (Our article)
- Crackdown campaign
© Covent Garden Community Association, November 2000
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